Container with cover locking handles



April 10, 1956 H. RIENER 2,741,398

CONTAINER WITH COVER LOCKING HANDLES I Filed Oct. 16, 1951 if 6 2? Z6 55 J4 INVENTOR.

jz/ HARE) P/f/Vf'le ATTOE/VEYS United States Patent CONTAINER WITH COVER LOCKING HANDLES Harry Riener, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to American Can Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application October 16, 1951, Serial No. 251,497

1 Claim. (Cl. 220-95) The present invention relates to containers and has particular reference to novel handles for containers which handles serve the additional purpose of locking a cover in place on the container.

An object of the invention is the provision of a comparatively large container, having a removable cover, wherein wire looped handles utilized for carrying the container also serve as locking elements for tightly clamping the cover in place on the container.

Another object is the provision of such a container wherein the novel construction of the locking handle does not interfere with the ready stacking of the containers one on top of the other.

Another object is the provision of such a locking handle which is of simple construction and which can be economically and readily produced from Wire material and is sufficiently resilient and of such shape as to compensate for slight irregularities in container dimensions and inaccuracies in attachment to the container so that tight clamping of the cover is insured under such abnormal conditions.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation of a container embodying the instant invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the container shown in Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 in Fig. 1; with parts broken away and with the locking handle shown in a different position in dotted lines.

As a preferred or exemplary embodiment of the invention the drawing illustrates a sheet metal container 11 comprising a cylindrical tubular body 12 (Fig. 1) having a bottom 13 secured thereto in a suitable joint 14 such as the double seam well known in the container or can making industry.

The top end of the body 12 is formed with an outwardly projecting annular cover pry-ofi and body reenforcing bead 15. A predetermined distance above the bead 15, the body 12 terminates in an inwardly projecting annular curl 16 which provides a smooth top edge for the container serving as an annular seat for a removable slip cover 17.

The slip cover 17 is formed with a sunken panel top wall 18 which merges into a surrounding annular upwardly and outwardly inclined or tapered locking wall section 19 (see Fig. 3). The upper outer edge of the wall section 19 merges at the periphery of the cover into an outwardly and downwardly curved wall section 21 which tightly engages the curl 16 of the container when the cover is in place and thus forms a seating channel for the curl 16. This curved wall section 21 merges into a depending annular skirt wall 22 which extends down adjacent and in frictional engagement with the outer surface of the container body 12, above the pryofi bead 15, when the cover is in place on the container. The lower edge of this depending or skirt wall 22 terminates in an outwardly projecting curl 23 spaced above the pry-off bead 15 in the container body a distance sufficient to permit insertion of a fiat blade or other tool between the curl 23 and the bead 15 to pry-oil the cover when the container is to be opened.

During shipment and storage of the container the slip cover 17 is tightly clamped in place by a pair of locking handles 25 secured to the upper portion or the container on diametrically opposed sides thereof. Each handle is made preferably from one piece of stiff steel wire bent into loop or ring fashion of a. size to permit insertion of the hand of the user. The free ends of the handle are disposed in opposed abutting relation to provide a hinge pintle 26 which is pivotally carried in a sheet metal cleat, clip or bracket 27 secured on the outside of the container immediately below the pry-ofi bead 15 by rivets or spot welds 28. The cleat 27 preferably is made from a single piece of tin plate or the like material folded back on itself to provide a double thickness riveting pad for attachment to the container body and a longitudinal horizontal loop or bearing 29 along the line of fold for the insertion of the pintle 26 of the handle.

From the pintle 26, the handle 25 flares outwardly and upwardly toward the top of the cover 17, in substantially straight legs 31. Adjacent the top edge of the cover 17 the handle legs 31 merge into bent or curved sections 32 which extend upwardly and inwardly projecting over and clear of the curved wall section 21 of the cover. Above the cover, i. e. opposite the abutting ends of the handle, the curved sections 32 of the handle merge into a pair of substantially straight integral clamping arms or sections 33 which extend inwardly and downwardly and at an angle to each other, converging toward and merging in a blunt point 3d, thus providing a pair of inclined converging clamping arms which extend angularly or diagonally across the inclined clamping wall 19 of said cover.

Such a handle 25 provides a unitary structure which may be readily swung or pivoted outwardly on its pintle 26 to a position clear of the slip cover 17, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 to permit prying oil of the cover to open the container. In this position of the handles 25 they may be utilized to carry the container.

As an added function, these same handles 25 are utilized to lock the slip cover 17 in place during shipment and storage. This is effected by merely swinging or pivoting the handles inwardly toward the container body and cover countersink 18 into a non-carrying locking position. When so swung into locking position, the blunt point 34 and the clamping arms 33 of the handle readily snap over the top edge of the cover at the curved wall section 21 and project over the top of the cover. In this position of the handles, the clamping arms 33 somewhere along their extent tightly engage agamst the tapered or inclined clamping wall section 19 of the cover and thus hold the cover tightly clamped in place on the container. This clamping action is the result of a downward pull exerted between the pintle 26 of the handle and the points of contact of the clamping arms 33 with the inclined wall section 19 of the cover, irrespective of whether the substantially straight leg sections 31 of the handles do or do not engage against the curl 23 of the cover.

In this manner of clamping the cover in place, the point of engagement between the clamping arms 33 of the handle and the inclined wall section 19 of the cover may be difierent for each container. Thus any slight irregularities, such as variance in thickness of the cover or inaccurate location of the handle cleat 27 is readily compensated for and satight clamping action of the handles is always insured.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and itwill be :apparent that various :changes may bemade in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing .from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

A handle fora container having a removableslip type cover, said cover having 21 depending skn't telescoping the upper outer edge of the container and an inclined wall integral with said .skirt and extending inwardly and downwardly from the upper edge thereof .at an acute angle and forming with said skirt an upper marginal cover portion substantially V-shaped in cross-section, said handle comprising a horizontally elongated, substantially planar loop made from a single piece .of stiff wire and having bottom portions formed into a pintle and pivotally mounted on the container adjacent its cover, a .pair of lat eral legs extending upwardly'from said pintle, and a pair of clamping and carrying arms forming the upper side of said handle, said arms being integral with the upper ends of said legs and inclined downwardly from said legs and converging at an obtuse angle in a blunt point disposed in the vertical median plane of said handle, *said inclined arms also being bent inwardly and disposed in a plane which is inclined from the plane of said loop at an acute angle substantially .equal to the angle between said cover skirt and said inclined wall of said cover, the distance from said pintle to said upper edge of said cover skirt in said vertical median plane being greater than the distance from said pintlc to said blunt point so that when said handle is pressed toward said container cover said blunt point will initially'engage said skirt at a point of contactaspaced fromtea'ch of said legs a .distancesubs'tantially equal to the full length of each of said arms to thereby maximize 'the leverage obtainable to flex said arms upwardly and thus minimize the pressure necessary to snap them over said cover marginal portion and into locking position where they lie in substantially flat engagement against said inclined cover wall with said blunt point shielded to prevent accidental dis'lodgement of said handle from said locking position.

References Citcdiu the file of this patent UNITED "STATES PATENTS 

